ADHD, hypoglycemia, epilepsy, lead poison | ADHD Information
Bluebird, if what you are doing is not working for you it is logically to search for answers. Researching and empowering ourselves with information gives us control over our own lives a little more.
It can annoy the professionals when we question their authority - but we only have one body and we have to live in it for a fairly long time - so we have to protect it
Good for you
Thanks Rae. I guess the professionals will never care about me nearly as much as I do.
I also have hypoglycemia.How is your ADHD affect by it, ADHDadult?
It doesn't help being hyper to begin with and then if my blood sugar drops it really makes me a nervous wreck at times! Eating lots of protein helps my brain function alot better! and ADD needs the amino acids that protein provides. Then some might argue you need carbs for serotonin for calming too.[QUOTE=ADHDadult]It doesn't help being hyper to begin with and then if
my blood sugar drops it really makes me a nervous wreck at times!
Eating lots of protein helps my brain function alot better! and ADD
needs the amino acids that protein provides. Then some might argue you
need carbs for serotonin for calming too.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I have heard both and try to keep both on hand.
Some things that work for me as snacks to keep in my purse:
*raw peanuts
*sliced Fuji apple
The combo seems to do really well. It sure is a lot of work. I am
constantly in crisis because I lack the discipline to prepare food. Plus, I HATE grocery shopping...hate it.
I also cook a large pot of whole barley and keep it in the fridge. I
just pull out a bowl and sprinkle some soy sauce or something on it to
keep me going.
The trick - EAT SOMETHING QUALITY BEFORE I AM HUNGRY.
[QUOTE=ADHDadult]
It is hard. Most don't understand low blood sugar. It is not like
diabetes where if your low you can grab sugar to rise for a short time,
low means for me, if I grab sugar I go LOWER!!
[/QUOTE]
Exactly!!
I can't eat the Power Bars, etc., they make me go lower too. Ugh. Seems
I need both protein and a complex carb thing or I am getting into a
danger zone.
I HATE TO EAT TOO! I'm hardly ever hungry, and it is such a pain to
stop whatever I'm doing to eat. I wish I had a friend like you in real
life so that I had a buddy who relates to both the ADHD and the
hypoglycemia and we could help each other out.
I think there is a connection. I have ADHD, epilepsy, and hypoglycemia.
I can't believe it. Wow. Forever, I just thought it was just a strange
combination of things, but I think they might be related.
I have been doing some websearching and have repeatedly been finding links to all of these things.
*On the advice of a new ADHD dr., I went to the Amen Clinic website and
took the "subtypes" test. It looks likely that I have temporal lobe
issues.
From
The Amen Clinic re: Temporal Lobe Seizures
[quote]Temporal Lobe System
In my clinical experience, temporal lobe symptoms are much more common
in psychiatry than most people think. These include periods of panic or
fear for no specific reason, periods of spaciness or confusion, dark
thoughts (such as suicidal or homicidal thoughts), significant social
withdrawal, frequent periods of deja vu, irritability, rages, and
visual changes (such as frequently seeing shadows out of the corner of
the eye). Temporal lobe dysfunction may be inherited or it may be
caused by some sort of brain trauma.
Temporal lobe symptoms are often responsive to anti-seizure medication,
such as Depakote, Neurontin or Tegretol. Temporal lobe symptoms are
often made worse by serotonergic medications such as Prozac, Paxil,
Zoloft, etc. [/quote]
Notice that the preferred medications for this include "anti-seizure medications"?
*I have forever been having petite mal seizures that I have tried to
ignore b/c they are not grand mal or anything serious. I had an EEG in
high school and they said they were petite mal seizures. I haven't
wanted to highlight this fact to doctors and risk getting my drivers
license revoked since they don't happen when I'm driving. They only
happen when I step from inside to outside. They are quick (only last a
second or two), but they make my eyes flutter, and my head and hands
jerk.
So, I went to the
Mayo
Clinic and looked up seizures and epilepsy:
[quote]Teachers also may comment about a child's inability to pay attention." [/quote]
It says that seizures can be brought on by hypoglycemia, sudden flashes
of light, and lack of sleep among other things. I have had horrible
sleep for the last couple of nights...fell asleep with the TV (which
was flashing all night long). I have had lifelong, wretched
insomnia. I have also been having seizures for the last couple of
days. They talk about "temporal seizures" too. And since seizures
are a problem with irregular electrical surges, I can see how ADHD
could be related, since it seems to be related to electrical issues.
So, I decided to look up “Epilepsy Supplements” and see if there’s
anything recommended (since you should SEE the side effects of the
anti-seizure meds!!!! OMG!)
[quote]Technically not a disease, epilepsy is a disorder that results
from excessive electrical activity in the brain and nervous system.
Normally, brain cells transmit electrical impulses in a highly
regulated manner. People with epilepsy, however, experience periods
when many brain cells fire all at once. [/quote]
and
[quote]In people with epilepsy, low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia)
and low levels of certain nutrients (such as magnesium or B vitamins)
can induce seizures. In addition, a lack of sleep, drinking too much
alcohol, stress, or an illness may trigger a seizure even in people who
do not have epilepsy.[/quote]
Notice that the supplements same as those recommended for epilepsy are the same ones recommended for ADHD.
These websites say to avoid certain “triggers.”
Herb2000.com
Remedy Find
The
Better Health Channel
* Lack of sleep
* Missed medication
* Alcohol
* Certain drugs (prescription and recreational)
* Flickering lights or patterns
* Stress
* Menstruation
* Illness (especially with diarrhoea or vomiting)
* Overheating
* Low blood sugar
* Certain smells, colours or sounds.
It's noteable because it supports:
*My "walking outside into sunlight" issue--which could be having a strobe ("flickering") effect on me.
*I have horrible, horrible problems with PMS and rage + suicidal
thoughts. It's getting worse as I get older, even though I'm not
depressed any other time since I have been taking Omega 3.
*It is consistent with my erratic sleep over the last couple of nights and my insomnia.
*I also have severe hypoglycemia. My blood tested at 52. Normal is around 80+. My dr. could NOT believe it.
This website
(
Neuran)
also linked epilepsy with lead poisoning as a possible cause.
[quote] The causes of seizures are relatively unknown. It is thought
many things can trigger the delicate electrical system in the brain
that cause seizures, including exposure to an allergen, fever, trauma
(especially head injury), hypoglycemia, genetic conditions, lead
poisoning, and metabolic or nutritional imbalances. [/quote]
And the symptoms of lead poisoning according to these websites
Dr. Joseph F.
Smith Library (Whoever he is! Hopefully not the founder of
the LDS church. :D )
UC Davis
Medline Plus
include:
Fatigue
Depression
Sleeplessness
Tiredness
Lowered I.Q.
Learning disabilities
Hyperactivity
Convulsions
Agitation
Irritability
Uncooperative
Confusion
All of which I consistently have. Hmm… Lead poisoning rung a bell
because I saw several books about it listed on a different ADHD site.
Plus, I found this article about a lead poisoning lawsuit that listed
ADHD as one of the problems that it caused.
http://www.newjerseylaw.com/leadpoisoningpressrelease.htm
These websites also make that link:
http://okvoices.org/lead.html
http://www.oica.org/LeadPoison.html
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/ADHD/lead.htm
I may make an appt. with my General Practitioner to have him test me for lead poisoning.
Does all of this sound like sound reasoning? Or, does it sound like I'm
making illlogical leaps here? My Ritalin is starting to wear off,
so this may be disjointed ADHD thinking, but it seems like there is a
string of connections, even if I can't present it too smoothly. What do
you think? Anyone else have these issues?
buttercup
bluebird3838224.8968287037
I always have raw almonds, dry roasted peanuts, low carb snacks, cheese etc. but sometimes I am not hungry and then all of a sudden my sugar DROPS! I hate to eat every 3 hrs or so if I am not hungry. I know small meals are best. I hate food shopping too! I think traveling is worse, as what is protein besides nuts? that will keep! I buy HIGH protein low carb bars but they tend to melt!
It is hard. Most don't understand low blood sugar. It is not like diabetes where if your low you can grab sugar to rise for a short time, low means for me, if I grab sugar I go LOWER!!